Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

American Journal of Preventive Medicine Presents the Evaluation of RWJF's Active Living by Design Program

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

In this special issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the authors address the science of understanding and mobilizing community action around the health implications of our built spaces and places that are central to our health futures.

Capturing Community Change

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This paper is part of a three-year cross-site evaluation started near the end of Year 3 of ALbD funding.

Evaluation of Physical Projects and Policies from the Active Living by Design Partnerships

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This paper systematically summarizes the scope of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living by Design's physical projects and policy changes, describes resources generated by the partnerships, and highlights supports and barriers to the pro ...

Technical Assistance Matters: Schools Need Support to Become Healthier

October 21, 2012 | Evaluation

The evaluation found that schools that accessed and participated in more training and technical assistance made the most progress in implementing policies and programs that support healthy eating and regular physical activity among students.

Identifying the Role of Community Partnerships in Creating Change to Support Active Living

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This study of the community partnerships funded by Active Living by Design explores which structures and functioning contributed to success and which presented challenges.

Evaluation of Active Living by Design

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

Active Living by Design (ALbD) community partnerships that did more preparation did implement more programs, promotions, physical projects, and policy influences. But partnerships working in non-White and poor communities implemented fewer interventions, according to this exploratory analysis to detect configurations of community characteristics.

Active Living by Design and It's Evaluation

November 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This article suggests that evaluations of community-based programs contribute to the science of evaluation, using lessons from the Active Living by Design (ALbD) evaluation.

Does Playworks Have an Impact on Schools and on the Children Who Attend Them?

September 17, 2012 | Story

Susanne N. James-Burdumy, PhD, Associate Director of Research at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., leads the random assignment evaluation of Playworks, a program that uses play to promote physical activity and youth development in schools.

Evaluation of the Healthy Schools Program

March 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This study evaluates interim progress in schools receiving hands-on training from the Healthy Schools Program, the nation's largest school-based program aimed at preventing childhood obesity.

Communities Creating Healthy Environments: Improving Access to Healthy Foods and Safe Places to Play in Communities of Color

National Program

To build state and national momentum to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity through strategic investment in those communities most affected.